Autumn 1971 (Vol. 37, No. 3), pages 269 to 282
Transcribed by Gordon Reese Morgan; digitized with permission of
the Kansas State Historical Society.
NOTE: The numbers in brackets are links to footnotes for this
text.

THE
WELSH towns of Llanfynydd, Corwen, Cyfarthfa, Dowlais,
Merthyr Tydfil, Anglesey, and Aberystwyth figuratively
became Carbondale, Reading, Burlingame, Arvonia, Lebo, and
Emporia in Kansas as natives of Wales settled in this
country west of the Mississippi in search of "the land of
milk and honey." Wales was not a rich agricultural country
and at the beginning of the 19th century there had been a
series of bad harvests followed by famine. The dream of
owning one's own plot of land might come true in America.
Even the miners in South Wales thought they could find
riches in the new land. Flowery brochures were printed in
Welsh newspapers offering cheap land to the emigrant as
illustrated in a Union Pacific railroad advertisement
describing the Nebraska-Kansas area as a land where "the
gentle Spring and wonderful Summer pour down their blessing
from overflowing coffers and only the playing of the red
deer and the wonderful singing of the birds break the
silence. Wagon roads which reveal the black earth, cross
green and verdant slopes where the tall grass of the
prairies waves in the breeze." [1]

Even before the railroad
reached the West, people were coming to Kansas. The
territory was the geographical center of the internal
commerce of the United States and two major trails crossed
its boundaries -- the Oregon and the Santa Fe roads. Though
some of the early explorers called the territory the "Great
American Desert," others saw the land in the spring of the
year with its green plains and fresh streams. Reports of
surveys for transcontinental railroads helped to eliminate
the desert myth and also created interest in the land.
[2]
Pioneers were passing through Kansas on their way farther
west -- miners, Mormons, settlers, missionaries, fur
traders, and adventurers -- even before President Franklin
Pierce had signed the Kansas-Nebraska bill,
[3]
and emigration societies were formed which brought early
settlers to Kansas. [4]

The first Welshmen came to
Emporia in 1857, the year the town was formed by five men
from Lawrence. [5]
Land in Kansas at this time was under the PreÎmption
act of 1841 which provided that the head of a family, a
widow, or a single man over 21 years of age could file a
claim for 160 acres of the public domain. The settler was
required by this law to erect a dwelling on the claim, make
proof of his settlement to the register and receiver at the
land office. Then the settler was allowed to purchase the
claim, which was usually $1.25 an acre.
[6]

The site for Emporia was an
excellent one as it lay in rich fertile land between two
rivers, the Neosho and the Cottonwood; and yet the town
itself was located beyond the reach of floods. An abundance
of timber was available, which was to play an important part
in the economic adjustment of the first settlers.
[7]
Limestone was abundant; and coal was discovered early in the
county. Good sand for building was found along the entire
length of the Cottonwood. [8]

The original town agreement
contained rules and regulations which appealed to the Welsh
religious and law-abiding nature. One regulation prohibited
the making, selling, giving away, or storing of liquor on
the townsite. Another rule forbid gambling. Anyone who
violated these regulations forfeited his rights to own land
on the townsite. [9]

In 1856 the Rev. George Lewis
brought his wife Matilda and their two sons, William and
Samuel, from Ohio to Allen creek which is north of Emporia.
[10]
Lewis was born in Carmarthen, South Wales, and had held
pastorates in Gomer, Ohio, and Old Man's Creek and Long
Creek, Iowa, before coming to Emporia. He was fluent in both
English and Welsh and wrote glowing accounts of the land
which were published in a Welsh magazine in New York called
Y Drych. These articles which were read by people
in Wales helped to create interest in the new
town.

In the summer of 1857,
another Welshman, David T. Morris came to Emporia from
Missouri and took land by preemption on the Neosho river.
[11]
He was a shoemaker and immediately opened a shop in the new
town, making and mending shoes and boots for the settlers.
One of the first marriages in the county took place on July
20, 1860, between David Morris and Mary Lewis.
[12]
>From Wisconsin came Edward Evans, Hugh and David
Williams, and Widow Williams who settled on land near the
Cottonwood river. They were followed in the fall by William
E. Evans, Robert Morris, Ellis Owens, Peter Hughes, John
Bennett, and others. [13]

Edward Evans was born in
Mold, Flintshire, in the northeastern corner of Wales, and
emigrated to Wisconsin in 1849. From there he came to
Emporia and bought land on Dry creek in 1857.
[14]
It was in his home that the first formal church services
were held in 1958. [15]
In 1861 Edward Evans donated land on his farm to build a
church for the Welsh people. This church was to become the
root of several Welsh churches later built in the community.
The late Edward Rees, who for 24 years was the Republican
congressman from the Kansas fourth district, was the
grandson of Edward Evans. [16]

Welsh families took up about
60 claims south of Emporia in the spring of 1858.
[17]
By 1860 there were 163 Welsh people in Kansas.
[18]
The Emporia News paid tribute to these early Welsh
settlers in an editorial written by P. B. Plumb, the
editor:

Since then (1857) the
number has increased until there is quite a populous
settlement in that neighborhood, and their farms bear
evidence of a liberal expenditure of labor and profitable
cultivation. The whole number of Welsh in the southern
portion of this county and the northern part of Madison
probably exceeds one hundred -- the adult male portion of
whom, nearly to a man, possess good farms. We understand
that about twenty families more are expected in this
spring. There is plenty of room in the vicinity where
their friends have located, and we want to see it fill up
with just such a class of people as that referred to.
[19]

Another early settler was Gehiel D. Humphrey who came with
his wife, Evelina, and sons, Lucius and Arthur, and bought
land on the Neosho river. [20]
He built and operated a saw mill on the Cottonwood and
another on the Neosho river near Forest Hill called
"Humphrey and Goodwill." By the summer of 1860 the county
supported seven saw mills. [21]

The Welsh people are noted
for their love of good music, and are especially good
singers. One of these was Daniel Jones who organized the
first singing society which later was expanded into the
Emporia Choral Society. [22]
Daniel Jones came from South Wales with his wife, Margaret,
and their two children, Ann and William, and settled in
Newark, Ohio, before coming to Emporia in 1858.
[23]

Edward Bennett Morris was a
miner in Wales. He brought his wife, Anna Williams, and six
children to America in 1854, following the coal mining
industry through Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and
Illinois. In 1858 he settled south of Emporia on Coal creek
and later moved into town buying property on Merchant
street. One of his sons, D. W. Morris, became a druggist and
at his death two of his grandsons, Edward and Warren, took
over the family business. It is still operating under the
name of Harris Drug Company. [24]

The settlers were fortunate
to have had a mild winter that first year of 1857. Only the
industrious and stout hearted had the fortitude to stay
under the hardships and misfortunes that were to follow.
[25]
The only water supply was from the Cottonwood river and this
had to be hauled by wagon. On May 8, 1858, a large water
vein was discovered by John Hammond which supplied all the
town. [26]
Real damage to crops was done by hordes of grasshoppers in
August, 1857. [27]
In the fall of 1860 [28]
and again in 1867 there was more crop damage by
grasshoppers. [29]
In the late summer of 1860 the cattle suffered from Spanish
fever. [30]

Not only were crops and
cattle affected but the people suffered from illness and
disease during these first years. One of the diseases was
called ague, which brought chills and fever. It was believed
to be caused by the wet season. [31]
During the year of the drought, the paper stated that the
community had been in very good health that season; no ague
had been reported. [32]
Drought itself was another hardship, the severest being in
1860. This drought began in September, 1859,
[33]
and the period of inadequate rainfall lasted until October
26, 1860. [34]

Thomas Evans was only 10 when
his family moved from New Cambria, Mo., to Emporia in 1865.
Both his parents had been born in Wales. Thomas worked with
his father and brothers as a farmer, then worked for the
Santa Fe railroad. He was sheriff of Lyon county from 1892
to 1896. In 1900 he married Kate Blair and began farming and
raising purebred horses. The farm is still in possession of
the family today. [35]

Griffith Pritchard Jones was
born in Caernarvonshire, North Wales, in 1847. In 1852 he
came to Remsen, N. Y., where there was a large Welsh
settlement. He wanted to go farther west, so he came to Lyon
county in the spring of 1869 and worked in a grocery store.
A merchant who had recently come from Columbus, Ohio, was
opening a clothing store in Emporia and found that a great
many of his customers spoke only Welsh. Griffith Jones was
hired as a salesman and also interpreter. In 1871 he
persuaded a brother, John Cornelius Jones, to come to
Emporia and the two of them went into the men's clothing
business, opening the G. P. Jones and Company store. In 1886
Griffith Jones bought 480 acres of school land on which to
raise cattle. [36]

In 1869 a Welshman named
Lewis Lewis left his homeland because his doctor told him he
had tuberculosis and could not live in that climate.
Accompanied by his brother, he came to America, emigrating
to St. Paul, Minn. Both of them joined a group who were
coming to Kansas. In Wales Lewis had been a building
contractor, so he continued in that profession in Emporia,
working for the Santa Fe railroad. He married Margaret
Williams and they had seven children. The majority of the
Welsh shared common surnames such as, Jones, Thomas, Evans,
Davies, Edwards, Williams, Roberts, and Griffiths. As a
result the identification of any one John Jones or Lewis
Lewis was virtually impossible and so for purposes of
identification many took a middle initial or were known as
"Tailor" Jones, "Foundry" Jones, "Cattleman" Jones, or Jones
"Lebo," Jones "Reading" and Jones "Dry Creek." Lewis Lewis
took his wife's maiden name to furnish his middle initial.
[37]

Many Welshmen came to Emporia
in the 1870's to work for Lewis W. Lewis. One of these was
Griffith Roberts who came to work in the stone quarries. His
son was Evan Joe Roberts who worked in a harness shop. Today
that harness shop has become Roberts Leather Goods, and is
owned by the grandson of Griffith Roberts, Evan W. Roberts.
[38]

By 1870 there were 600 Welsh
settlers in the Emporia area; 400 in Arvonia, 100 in
Reading, 100 in Carbondale, 50 in Burlingame, and 1,750 in
all of Kansas. [39]
By the 1900 census there were 5,728 Welsh in Kansas.
[40]

The satisfaction the Welsh
derived from their land is illustrated in a letter written
in the early 1870's by the son of a farmer in Emporia to
relatives in Wales:

Kansas is a splendid
place for a man who has got £200 [two hundred
pounds], to come out and buy a farm. He can get land
at $1.50 per acre and as good as there is in the Vale of
Towey, after being cultivated. It doesn't require any
manure at all. I have seen land from which the twentieth
crop in succession is taken out of it this year and it
seems as good as ever. Some men I know here keep three or
four hundred head of cattle, and they have not a yard of
land of their own, and don't pay a cent for grass. . . .
The grass in many parts is as high as my head. All the
cattle are fat and they are kept out the whole winter. .
. .

There is an Odd Fellow's
lodge at Emporia. I am not disappointed with America at
all. It is far better than I expected. You can guess what
sort of a place Emporia is. She is a new town, only two
years of age, with about four thousand inhabitants. There
is only one policeman in the place. I believe that
America is a home for a workingman. The people here are
not rich -- they are all new beginners, but none are
poor, and beggars are not known. I have not seen a
drunken man since I landed in the United
States.

I have been working all the
fall until now with Evan L. Jones, son of Llwynfedwen,
Llanfynydd, but today I am going to team lumber from
Emporia to Arkansas City, down south about two hundred
miles. All teamsters here camp out at night. 'Tis not
unusual to see two or three hundred wagons starting out
together from Emporia to all parts of the South, and they
are called a train. The reason why they go together is
that the Indians are dangerous. The southern part of
Kansas is not inhabited at all, the country is quite open
from Emporia down to the Gulf of Mexico -- about 1,000
miles of land. . . .

I am sparking a nice young
woman here and I intend to get married before long. She
is a Welsh girl and a newcomer." [41]

The following letter written
by a Welshman in Emporia to his brother and sister in Wales
showed all were not satisfied with the country:

What enticed me to
Kansas was to get a little land but by now the amount of
land I expect to get is six feet by two feet. . . . After
a man gets a farm of one hundred acres what is it worth
to him? Not half as much as one acre within six to ten
miles of Manchester. For example, there are Welshmen in
the neighborhood of Emporia who have been settled here
about ten years and own about 160 acres of the best land
in Kansas. Elsewhere the Welsh have bought very poor land
from the land sharks. Those who have lived here ten years
look more like Indians than Welshmen. They have not been
able in ten years to save enough money to build a house
of any kind. They live in holes in the ground something
like the potato-caches that you see in Wales. The sight
of them is enough to put anyone off who is thinking of
farming in America. The truth is that the land in Kansas
is expensive for nothing. . . . The government gives
twenty miles of land to the railroad companies on either
side of the line and of course everyone in these new
states wants to be as near to the iron road as they can
and when a new railroad is being built the land sharks
buy up the land straightaway from the company. And
remember that the Yankees here are sharp and they always
pick the best and they can perhaps put down the money.
And then along came the Welsh and they have what is left
and with perhaps ten years to pay for it and having
bought it perhaps quite cheaply. The next task will be to
entice the simple Welshman to buy land from them which
belongs to the railroad company. . . . They [the land
sharks] are there by the hundreds picking the best
land for about two dollars and selling it again for
perhaps fifty dollars. Many would think from the papers
in the Old Country that all you have to do is to come to
a state and settle there, that the land is to be had for
practically nothing, but this is completely wrong. There
is plenty of land in every state hardly even touched. You
would think that it belonged to no one but try to get a
bit of it and you straightaway find that it belongs to a
land shark and it is the same all over the country. . . .
" [42]

Though some were not
satisfied, the large part of the Welsh population enjoyed
their new life. A few missed their homeland and returned
there after several years in Emporia. William Rees emigrated
from Glyngwilyn, South Wales, to Emporia in 1871. One of his
sons, Llewellyn, returned to Wales in 1886 to marry and
bring his wife back to Kansas. But she missed her native
land in this strange country, and in 1893 Llewellyn Rees
returned to Wales with his family only to return to Emporia
in 1901. Today the fifth generation is still farming on the
same land bought by William Rees in 1871.
[43]

Richard and Rachel Morgan
came from Wales and bought land in the south part of Emporia
in 1884. When Dr. David Lloyd Morgan, their son, died in
1936, the Emporia Gazette wrote the following
eulogy:

Around town among men
he was known as "Dr. Dave," to distinguish him from "Dr.
John," the dentist, his brother and young "Dr. Phil," his
nephew, all Morgans of the same breed, all children and
grandchildren of the Welsh settlers who came to Lyon,
Osage and Coffey counties in the 60's, 70's and who made
this the largest Welsh settlement in the Western
Mississippi Valley. In these parts these Welsh citizens
took leadership. For sixty years, the Welsh had pretty
much their own way commercially in this town. They
dominated the clothing trade, the hardware trade and led
in drugs and groceries. The second and third generations
have gone into professions. Teachers, preachers, lawyers,
doctors of Welsh blood stand well toward the top in these
callings. . . ." [44]

The preceding paragraph
seemed to indicate the eminence of the Welsh people in
industry, business, and professions. They were also
successful land holders which was their primary reason for
coming to Kansas. An accompanying map shows Welsh land
holdings as of 1940. [45]

A most important part of
those early Welsh settlers' lives was their religion. On
March 21, 1858, a meeting of all denominations was scheduled
in Emporia to express convictions in relation to the strict
observance of the Sabbath. [46]
>From the time Edward Evans gave a piece of his land for
the building of the little log church called Union church,
the Welsh churches grew in number. After Union church came
the Chamness school house where worship services were held
from 1868 to 1872. [47]
The following report is from the county superintendent of
schools on November 15, 1867:

District No. 24, WELSH
NEIGHBORHOOD. -- With the exception of two or three
families, the settlers are all of Welsh origin. Our
Cambrian friends are determined not to be one whit behind
their Anglo-Saxon neighbors in every good work. Their
first care, after securing homes, was for a church, and
the little chapel has been their school house. With an
increase of wealth, arrangements have been made for the
erection of a good stone school house which will be built
the present season. [48]

In October, 1862, a Bible
association was organized which is still in existence today
under the name of the Welsh Auxiliary of the American Bible
Society. There were four members elected to membership at
that first meeting: R. D. Thomas, T. H. Thomas, David M.
Morgan, and Edward Morris. It was a custom to rotate the
meeting place so that each church might have an opportunity
to serve as host. [49]

A Congregational church
called Bethany was organized in Emporia in 1868 and the
Emporia News reported on its first
meeting:

On Wednesday last, the
Congregational church of this place, a council . . . was
convened with a view to the organization of a Welsh
Congregational church, which resulted in the formation of
a vigorous society of twenty-seven members, most of whom
reside in this village. . . . The Welsh in this vicinity
are both an exceedingly industrious and also a religious
people, bringing their principles with them from the
mountains and the mines of the fatherland, and constitute
a very valuable element in our community. . . . While
most of them mingle freely with the Americans and are
able to communicate upon common topics, yet the Welsh is
their devotional language. They must pray in Welsh. There
are a large number of Welsh communities in this country,
from which have arisen many eminent men, that are doing a
great and good work in the world. It is believed that the
community in this place is ahead of any other colony in
their westward march. [50]

Once a month these Welsh
churches had a sermon in English so that those who did not
know Welsh might understand. They felt it was more important
to teach the Gospel than to teach the Welsh language. The
change from Welsh to English took place gradually.
[51]

The Salem Presbyterian
church, south of Emporia, was organized in 1869 by the Rev.
R M. Overstreet with 18 members. [52]
Their first minister, the Rev. John Jones, was born in
Wales. His father, Daniel Jones, was also a minister in the
Presbyterian church. John was married in 1862 to Katherine
Morris and emigrated to Middle Granville, N. Y., where they
stayed for six years. Then the family came to the Salem
Presbyterian church in April, 1870. Later they moved to
Emporia and the Rev. Mr. Jones organized a Welsh
Presbyterian church, which pastorate he held for 31 years.
[53]
This Second Presbyterian church of Emporia was formed in
1871. An editorial concerning the dedication of the manse of
the Second Presbyterian church was written by William Allen
White for the Gazette entitled "The Welsh
People":

In the news columns of
the Gazette today will be found the story of the
dedication of the manse of the Second Presbyterian
church. This church is composed largely of members who
are of Welsh birth or inheritance. It is characteristic
of that people that the manse is dedicated absolutely
free of debt. . . . The Welsh people of this community
have lived here for over a generation. They have been the
best single strain of blood in our Emporia life. They
have Americanized, but have retained their strong
qualities of thrift, of honesty, of industry, of deep
moral qualities. Also they are the basis of the best
artistic feeling in the community. More than the
Americans of several generations, these newer Americans
have the sense that money is not all of life, that there
is something better than hard cash, and they have given
Emporia much of its best tone, its steady-going homely
purpose and its wholesome details.

The Welsh people in Emporia and vicinity probably number
several thousand souls; yet there are no Welsh paupers,
no Welsh criminals, no Welsh loafers, no Welsh snobs;
they are the salt of the earth, and Emporia is a better,
cleaner, kindlier town because it is the home of these
people. [54]

The Sardis Congregational
Church had its beginning also in the log cabin built on
Edward Evans' farm. November 23, 1947, marked its 75th
anniversary church service when over 70 descendants of the
60 or more members listed in the treasurer's record for 1871
responded to the roll call of those names.
[55]

Perhaps the greatest contribution the Welsh have given to
Emporia is their love of good music, especially good
singing. It was natural they would bring their festivals and
folk songs with them when they came to this
country.

One of the first Welsh
concerts given in Emporia was held in December, 1875.
[56]
It was around this period that the Eisteddfodau were also
held. [57]
This is an old Welsh music festival beginnings of which are
shrouded in antiquity. Eisteddfodau means literally a
sitting or session, and it is still observed today in Wales
as the most important musical event of the year. Competitors
come from many nations to participate in the International
Eisteddfodau, which has grown in prestige over the years
until it is now recognized as one of the great musical fetes
of Great Britain. [58]

The contests were both
musical and literary, but the most important part was the
music. There were vocal solos, sight-reading contests, and
chorus singing. The chorus members worked for months on
their selections and each person had to have his or her
voice tested and be able to read music well. In addition to
the choruses there were original compositions, essays,
poetry, and readings. Each contest usually lasted for two
days. Music critics called "adjudicators" were brought from
some large city to judge these contests.
[59]

Singing schools were
organized when the first church services began. These were
important affairs socially. Daniel R. Jones was the first
singing leader. [60]
The Welsh also had their spring music festivals which were
competitive song fests. With the establishment of a music
school at the Emporia Normal School in 1908, these contests
became the first competition of their kind in the United
States. [61]

Since religion played such an
important part in the lives of the Welsh immigrants, the
various church organizations formed their strongest type of
society or association. The cultural organizations within
these associations were the most prevalent. One of these
organizations was called St. David's Society, and its most
important feature was to observe the anniversary of St.
David, the patron saint of the Welsh, on March first of each
year by special services in the various churches. The St.
David Society of Lyon county, one of the oldest Welsh
societies in the United States, [62]
has held concerts every year since 1888.
[63]
Hymns and anthems are still being sung in the Welsh language
at these events. [64]

One of the first programs for
this celebration was published in the Emporia Daily
Republican, which stated:

The Welsh national
holiday was seldom celebrated with so much energy and
enthusiasm as in the Second Congregational church last
evening. . . .The chorus, which rendered several choice
selections during the evening, showed careful training,
which reflects great credit on its conductor, Mr. H. T.
Rees. Prof. Rhys-Herbert and Mr. William Rees were the
accompanists for the evening and deserve special mention
for the efficiency of their work. [65]

One of the first Welsh
newspapers in the West was first published in Emporia in
1883 by Edwin C. Jones, later a prominent printer for the
Government Printing Office. Called Y Columbia, it
was the first bi-lingual Welsh-American newspaper and the
first to recognize the increasingly important place English
was assuming in the life of the Welsh American communities.
Later the paper was moved to Chicago where it helped to
sponsor the World's Fair Eisteddfodau in 1893. It merged
with Y Drych in 1894. [66]

The economic contributions of
the Welsh people has been referred to indirectly in several
instances, but perhaps the outstanding example is the case
of the Jones Charitable Trust Fund. This trust may provide
medical and educational assistance to qualified persons
under the age of 21 who are residents of either Coffey,
Lyon, or Osage county. [67]
It was established by Walter S., Evan C., and Olive T. Jones
who left the bulk of their estate for charitable purposes.
At present the fund's total worth is estimated at between
six and eight million dollars. Annual income nears a
quarter-million. [68]

Walter and Evan were the youngest sons of J. D. W. Jones, a
Welshman who was brought to the United States by his parents
and settled in Ohio. Here he grew up and married Margaret
Griffiths, a member of another Welsh family from Cincinnati,
Ohio. J. D. W. decided to come west to Kansas where he
believed there would be greater opportunities for his
family. They settled near Emporia where J. D. W. began to
succeed as a cattleman. He became known as "Cattleman" Jones
for the large number of cattle he raised and shipped to
market.

As his name became known in
the cattle business, J. D. W. and his older sons went to
Kansas City and engaged in the commission business. This
move left the younger sons, Walter and Evan, to carry on
with the cattle operations in Kansas. Walter married Olive
Taylor and together with the brother Evan, they formed a
rather formidable partnership, each one an important part of
the operation which could not have succeeded without the
others. [69]

The Welsh came to Emporia to establish new homes and to
raise families. In doing so they put down roots that were to
last. This paper has been concerned with a relatively few of
these fine people, but they have been representative of many
others, all making substantial contributions in the various
cultural aspects of society.

LYON COUNTY LANDHOLDINGS ABOUT 1940(Explanation of Numbered Landmarks)

The front-page banner from Columbia, December
11, 1890, which reported itself "The ONLY Welsh and English
Newspaper in the Country." The paper was published in
Emporia for several years.

NOTES

MRS. C. L. ( CAROLYN ) BERNEKING, native of Kansas
City Mo., attended the University of Kansas at Lawrence, and
earned her master's degree in library science at Kansas
State Teachers College, Emporia. She is presently librarian
at Central Junior High School, Lawrence.